THK FEEDING <> I FARM STOCK. 789 



condition of the animal will not sustain life, aarticularly as at such times 

 the animal requires the production of a good deal of bodily heat. Tbe 

 question then arises of the possibility of supplying some dry roughage in 

 addition to the green food. 



. \ [ . .- 1 it from these direct effects of feeding on mortality, it ha*, it may be 

 reiterated, a somewhat indirect influence in leading to many deaths among 

 curs prior to lambing. It is nut suggested that every such case is dietetic in 

 origin, but it is desired to stress the intimate connection between feeding and 

 many such cases of heavy loss. These deaths are in all probability due to a 

 complexity of causes, beginning with luck of digestible and nutritive fond, 

 leading to a slowly developing atonic condition of the digestive tract, which 

 becomes less and less capable of dealing with what food is available. The 

 -.train of advancing pregnancy is added to these difficulties, a tendency to 

 constipation is induced by the fibrous astringent food, and as a result of 

 these multiple causes the weakened animals succumb. If at the first sign 

 ■of such mortality food of the nature of bran, lucerne, linseed meal, (fee, can 

 be provided, it may be almost entirely checked. 



Poisoning. 



At times heavy losses occur in sheep as a result of plant-poisoning. Blue 

 couch and rosewood have been responsible for many deaths as a result of the 

 formation of prussic acid, and variegated thistle has killed many, probably 

 from the same cause. Very little can be done to prevent this, as there is no 

 indication when the plants are likely to be poisonous, but warnings issued 

 •with regard to particular patches of country have at times been disregarded, 

 with disastrous results. 



Tne commonest form of chronic poisoning is that due to Darling pea, 

 which can only be dealt with by getting rid of the plant. There are, in addi- 

 tion, many other plants concerning which our information is very vague and 

 unsatisfactory, and concerning which there is urgent need for investigation. 



PIGS. 



Feeding and disease are not so intimately connected in the pig as in 

 •other animals — largely because in the majority of cases the feeding is more 

 •controlled, and because, whereas with other stock most of the trouble is due 

 to the nature of the food, with pigs the most serious disease (that is, tuber- 

 culosis) is due to infected food. It may safely be said that the great 

 majority of cases of tuberculosis of the pig in this country are due to 

 Infection by tubercular milk and milk products, and the only satisfactory 

 method to safeguard the animals is to boil such food before feeding it. 



The amount of mineral salts (particularly lime and phosphates) in the 

 food of pigs is of considerable importance, and the disease commonly known 

 as rickets is largely due to deficiency of these ingredients. In cases where 

 the pigs are affected a change of diet is advisable, and food fairly rich 

 in these salts, such as bran, pollard, lucerne-hay, clover-hay, &c, should 

 be tried. 



One of the common forms of poisoning in the pig occurs from the 

 administration of brine with the food, either through ignorance or care- 

 lessness. Otherwise, poisoning is generally due to the careless handling of 

 rabbit poison. 



